User-equipment-coordination set for disengaged mode

ABSTRACT

This document describes techniques and apparatuses for a user-equipment-coordination set for disengaged mode ( 602 ). In aspects, a base station ( 121 ) forms a disengaged-mode-user-equipment coordination set ( 602 ) including multiple user equipment ( 110 ) operating in a disengaged mode ( 524 ). The disengaged-mode-user-equipment coordination set ( 602 ) uses joint transmission and reception to communicate with the base station ( 121 ). The base station ( 121 ) communicates control-plane information to an individual user equipment ( 110 ) or multiple user equipment ( 110 ) in the disengaged-mode-user-equipment coordination set ( 602 ).

BACKGROUND

Generally, a provider of a wireless network manages wirelesscommunications over the wireless network. For example, a base stationmanages a wireless connection with a user equipment (UE) that isconnected to the wireless network. The base station determinesconfigurations for the wireless connection, such as bandwidth, timing,and protocol for the wireless connection.

The quality of service between the UE and the base station can bedegraded by a number of factors, such as loss in signal strength,bandwidth limitations, interfering signals, and so forth. This isparticularly true for UEs operating at a cell edge, which is frequentlytroubled by weak signal quality. A number of solutions have beendeveloped to address cell-edge issues occurring in certain wirelesscommunication systems. However, with recent advancements in wirelesscommunication systems, such as increased data transmission speedsassociated with Fifth Generation New Radio (5G NR), at least some ofthose previous solutions have become less efficient, especially when auser equipment is in a disengaged mode, such as an idle mode or aninactive mode.

SUMMARY

This summary is provided to introduce simplified concepts of aUE-coordination set for disengaged mode. The simplified concepts arefurther described below in the Detailed Description. This summary is notintended to identify essential features of the claimed subject matter,nor is it intended for use in determining the scope of the claimedsubject matter.

In some aspects, a method for using a disengaged-mode-user-equipmentcoordination set by a base station is described in which the basestation specifies a set of multiple user equipment to form thedisengaged-mode-user-equipment coordination set, for joint transmissionand reception of data intended for one or more of the multiple userequipment included in the disengaged-mode-user-equipment coordinationset, each of the multiple user equipment being in a disengaged mode. Thebase station selects one of the multiple user equipment within thedisengaged-mode-user-equipment coordination set to act as a coordinatingUE for the disengaged-mode-user-equipment coordination set. The basestation transmits a request message that directs the coordinating userequipment to coordinate the joint transmission and reception of the dataintended for the one or more of multiple user equipment. The basestation transmits a downlink signal to each user equipment within thedisengaged-mode-user-equipment coordination set effective to: i) enableeach user equipment within the disengaged-mode-user-equipmentcoordination set to: demodulate and sample the downlink signal, andforward the samples to the coordinating user equipment; and ii) enablethe coordinating user equipment to: combine the samples from each userequipment, and jointly process the combined samples to provide decodeddata.

In another aspect, a method performed by a user equipment in a wirelesscommunications network is described in which the user equipment receivesan indication to transition to a disengaged mode. The user equipmentreceives a request message from a base station directing the userequipment to join a disengaged-mode-user-equipment coordination setwhich includes multiple user equipment in the disengaged mode. The userequipment transitions to the disengaged mode. The user equipmentreceives baseband samples from at least one of the multiple userequipment in the disengaged-mode-user-equipment coordination set, thebaseband samples corresponding to data intended for one or more of themultiple user equipment included in the disengaged-mode-user-equipmentcoordination set and received by the at least one user equipment in thedisengaged-mode-user-equipment coordination set. The user equipmentaggregates the baseband samples to provide a combined baseband signal,jointly processes the combined baseband signal to decode the dataintended for the one or more of the multiple user equipment, and, basedon the decoded data, forwards the data corresponding to the aggregatedinformation to the one or more of the multiple user equipment.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The details of one or more aspects of a UE-coordination set fordisengaged mode are described below. The use of the same referencenumbers in different instances in the description and the figuresindicate similar elements:

FIG. 1 illustrates an example operating environment in which aspects ofa UE-coordination set for disengaged mode can be implemented.

FIG. 2 illustrates an example device diagram of a user equipment and aserving cell base station.

FIG. 3 illustrates an example block diagram of a wireless network stackmodel in which various aspects of a UE-coordination set for disengagedmode can be implemented.

FIG. 4 illustrates an example environment in which various aspects of aUE-coordination set for disengaged mode can be implemented.

FIG. 5 illustrates example user equipment states which may implementvarious aspects of a UE-coordination set for disengaged mode.

FIG. 6 illustrates an example environment in which various aspects of aUE-coordination set for disengaged mode can be implemented.

FIG. 7 illustrates an example method of a UE-coordination set fordisengaged mode as generally related to the base station in accordancewith aspects of the techniques described herein.

FIG. 8 illustrates an example method of a UE-coordination set fordisengaged mode as generally related to the user equipment in accordancewith aspects of the techniques described herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In conventional wireless communication systems, a signal quality betweena user equipment (UE) and a base station can be degraded by a number offactors, such as signal interference or distance between the UE and thebase station, resulting in slower and less efficient data transmission.This degradation of the signal quality is common for a UE located nearthe cell edge of the base station.

This document describes techniques and apparatuses for a UE-coordinationset for disengaged mode which facilitates more efficient datatransmission for a user equipment in a disengaged mode in comparison toconventional wireless communication systems. A UE-coordination set isformed by multiple UEs assigned as a group to function together, similarto a distributed antenna, for the benefit of a particular UE. TheUE-coordination set includes a coordinating UE that coordinates jointtransmission and reception of downlink and/or uplink data for theparticular UE (e.g., target UE) or multiple UEs in the UE-coordinationset. By combining antennas and transmitters of multiple UEs in theUE-coordination set, the effective transmission power of the particularUE is significantly increased, and the effective signal quality isgreatly improved. A base station can form UE-coordination sets based onthe resource control state of various groups of user equipment. Forexample, a base station can form a UE-coordination set for multiple UEsin an engaged mode (e.g., a connected mode) that are activelycommunicating data with the base station. Additionally or alternatively,the base station can form a disengaged-mode-user-equipment coordinationset for multiple UEs in a disengaged mode (e.g., an idle mode or aninactive mode) that are not actively communicating data with the basestation.

Multiple UEs can each receive downlink data transmissions from the basestation. These UEs may not decode the downlink transmissions into datapackets and then forward the data packets to a destination, as inconventional relay techniques. Rather, the UEs determine where toforward raw I/Q samples of the downlink transmissions, such as to acoordinating UE or a target UE. In aspects, the target UE may include asubset of target UEs within the UE-coordination set. The coordinating UE(or the target UE) receives the raw I/Q samples from the other UEs inthe UE-coordination set and stores the I/Q samples in a buffer memory.Then, the coordinating UE (or the target UE) synchronizes and decodesthe stored raw I/Q samples into data packets for the target UE(s).Accordingly, the processing of the raw I/Q samples occurs at thecoordinating UE or the target UE. In this way, the UE-coordination setacts as a distributed antenna for the target UE. The target UE includesits own antenna(s) and participates in the collecting of data in the I/Qformat from the base station and forwarding the raw I/Q data to thecoordinating UE. If the target UE is the coordinating UE, however, thenthe target UE does not forward the raw I/Q samples to itself.

In one use case, multiple UEs carried by a group of hikers in a lowradio coverage area can form a UE-coordination set to transmit a messageto a base station at a higher effective transmit power than would bepossible for an individual UE in that area. Additionally, those UEs canform a UE-coordination set to receive a message from the base stationfor one of the UEs at a higher effective receive power than would bepossible for that one UE to individually receive. One of the multipleUEs acts as a coordinating UE for the UE-coordination group to aggregatedata signals intended for a target UE and received by theUE-coordination group. Each of the UEs demodulates and samples the radiofrequency signals and forwards the baseband samples to the coordinatingUE using a local wireless network or a personal area network, such asBluetooth™ Then, the coordinating UE aggregates and process the samplesto generate decoded data and provide the decoded data to the target UE.Alternatively, the coordinating UE can forward the stored samples to thetarget UE to allow the target UE to demodulate the data.

In another use case, a single user may have a work smartphone and apersonal smartphone. In some cases, both the work smartphone and thepersonal smartphone may be located in a basement home-office with lowcellular coverage. The work smartphone and the personal smartphone canform a UE-coordination set to transmit messages to, or receive messagesfrom, a base station at a higher effective transmit or receive powerthan either smartphone is capable of individually. The work smartphoneand the personal smartphone may also form a UE-coordination set with oneor more other devices (e.g., tablet, smart appliance, Internet-of-thingsdevice) in the home to further increase the effective transmit and/orreceive power of the work smartphone or the personal smartphone.

In aspects, a base station forms a disengaged-mode-user-equipmentcoordination set including multiple UEs in the disengaged mode. Thedisengaged-mode-user-equipment coordination set uses joint transmissionand reception to improve effective transmission power and receptionquality for UEs in the disengaged-mode-user-equipment coordination set,as compared to transmission power and reception quality of a single UE.

In aspects, the base station communicates control-plane information toan individual UE or multiple UEs in the disengaged-mode-user-equipmentcoordination set. The base station can communicate system informationupdates to the UEs in the disengaged-mode-user-equipment coordinationset or transmit a paging indication for a single UE (target UE) in thedisengaged-mode-user-equipment coordination set.

In other aspects, the base station determines a common configuration fordiscontinuous reception (DRX) by the UEs in thedisengaged-mode-user-equipment coordination set. Optionally oradditionally, the base station receives UE capability information fromthe UEs in the disengaged-mode-user-equipment coordination set and canuse the UE capability information and/or other status information aboutthe UEs to determine parameters of the DRX configuration. The basestation communicates the DRX communication parameters to thedisengaged-mode-user-equipment coordination set which causes the UEs tosynchronize in order to use joint reception for discontinuous reception.

In a further aspect, the base station specifies cell reselectionparameters specific to a disengaged-mode-user-equipment coordinationset. The base station determines a reception metric for thedisengaged-mode-user-equipment coordination set, such as asignal-to-noise ratio (SNR) for joint reception and communicates thereception metric to the disengaged-mode-user-equipment coordination set.If the UEs in the disengaged-mode-user-equipment coordination setmeasure the reception metric, and the measurement is below a thresholdvalue for the reception metric, the disengaged-mode-user-equipmentcoordination set performs a cell reselection procedure and selects thebase station with the best value for the reception metric at the campedbase station for the disengaged-mode-user-equipment coordination set.

In another aspect, the disengaged-mode-user-equipment coordination settransmits a tracking area update. In response to a cell reselection, ifthe newly selected base station is in a different tracking area than thepreviously selected base station, the disengaged-mode-user-equipmentcoordination set, the disengaged-mode-user-equipment coordination setjointly transmits a tracking area update.

Example Environments

FIG. 1 illustrates an example environment 100, which includes multipleuser equipment 110 (UE 110), illustrated as UE 111, UE 112, and UE 113.Each UE 110 can communicate with one or more base stations 120(illustrated as base stations 121, 122, 123, and 124) through one ormore wireless communication links 130 (wireless link 130), illustratedas wireless links 131 and 132. Each UE 110 in a UE-coordination set cancommunicate with a coordinating UE of the UE-coordination set and/or atarget UE in the UE-coordination set through one or more local wirelessnetwork connections (e.g., personal area network, near-fieldcommunication (NFC), Bluetooth™, ZigBee™) such as local wireless networkconnections 133, 134, and 135. In this example, the UE 110 isimplemented as a smartphone. Although illustrated as a smartphone, theUE 110 may be implemented as any suitable computing or electronicdevice, such as a mobile communication device, a modem, cellular phone,gaming device, navigation device, media device, laptop computer, desktopcomputer, tablet computer, smart appliance, vehicle-based communicationsystem, an Internet-of-things (IoT) device (e.g., sensor node,controller/actuator node, combination thereof), and the like. The basestations 120 (e.g., an Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio AccessNetwork Node B, E-UTRAN Node B, evolved Node B, eNodeB, eNB, NextGeneration Node B, gNode B, gNB, or the like) may be implemented in amacrocell, microcell, small cell, picocell, or the like, or anycombination thereof.

The base stations 120 communicate with the UE 110 using the wirelesslinks 131 and 132, which may be implemented as any suitable type ofwireless link. The wireless link 131 and 132 can include a downlink ofdata and control information communicated from the base stations 120 tothe UE 110, an uplink of other data and control information communicatedfrom the UE 110 to the base stations 120, or both. The wireless links130 may include one or more wireless links or bearers implemented usingany suitable communication protocol or standard, or combination ofcommunication protocols or standards such as 3rd Generation PartnershipProject Long-Term Evolution (3GPP LTE), Fifth Generation New Radio (5GNR), and so forth. Multiple wireless links 130 may be aggregated in acarrier aggregation to provide a higher data rate for the UE 110.Multiple wireless links 130 from multiple base stations 120 may beconfigured for Coordinated Multipoint (CoMP) communication with the UE110. Additionally, multiple wireless links 130 may be configured forsingle-RAT dual connectivity or multi-RAT dual connectivity (MR-DC).Each of these various multiple-link situations tends to increase thepower consumption of the UE 110.

The base stations 120 are collectively a Radio Access Network 140 (RAN,Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network, E-UTRAN, 5G NR RANor NR RAN). The RANs 140 are illustrated as a NR RAN 141 and an E-UTRAN142. The base stations 121 and 123 in the NR RAN 141 are connected to aFifth Generation Core 150 (5GC 150) network. The base stations 122 and124 in the E-UTRAN 142 are connected to an Evolved Packet Core 160 (EPC160). Optionally or additionally, the base station 122 may connect toboth the 5GC 150 and EPC 160 networks.

The base stations 121 and 123 connect, at 101 and 102 respectively, tothe 5GC 150 using an NG2 interface for control-plane signaling and usingan NG3 interface for user-plane data communications. The base stations122 and 124 connect, at 103 and 104 respectively, to the EPC 160 usingan Si interface for control-plane signaling and user-plane datacommunications. Optionally or additionally, if the base station 122connects to the 5GC 150 and EPC 160 networks, the base station 122connects to the 5GC 150 using the NG2 interface for control-planesignaling and using the NG3 interface for user-plane datacommunications, at 180.

In addition to connections to core networks, base stations 120 maycommunicate with each other. The base stations 121 and 123 communicateusing an Xn interface at 105. The base stations 122 and 124 communicateusing an X2 interface at 106. At least one base station 120 (basestation 121 and/or base station 123) in the NR RAN 141 can communicatewith at least one base station 120 (base station 122 and/or base station124) in the E-UTRAN 142 using an Xn interface 107. In aspects, basestations 120 in different RANs (e.g., master base stations 120 of eachRAN) communicate with one another using an Xn interface such as Xninterface 107.

The 5GC 150 includes an Access and Mobility Management Function 152 (AMF152) that provides control-plane functions such as registration andauthentication of multiple UE 110, authorization, mobility management,or the like in the 5G NR network. The EPC 160 includes a MobilityManagement Entity 162 (MME 162) that provides control-plane functionssuch as registration and authentication of multiple UE 110,authorization, mobility management, or the like in the E-UTRA network.The AMF 152 and the MME 162 communicate with the base stations 120 inthe RANs 140 and also communicate with multiple UE 110 using the basestations 120.

Example Devices

FIG. 2 illustrates an example device diagram 200 of a user equipment anda base station. In aspects, the device diagram 200 describes devicesthat can implement various aspects of a UE-coordination set fordisengaged mode. Included in FIG. 2 are the multiple UE 110 and the basestations 120. The multiple UE 110 and the base stations 120 may includeadditional functions and interfaces that are omitted from FIG. 2 for thesake of clarity. The UE 110 includes antennas 202, a radio frequencyfront end 204 (RF front end 204), and radio-frequency transceivers(e.g., an LTE transceiver 206 and a 5G NR transceiver 208) forcommunicating with base stations 120 in the 5G RAN 141 and/or theE-UTRAN 142. The UE 110 includes one or more additional transceivers(e.g., local wireless network transceiver 210) for communicating overone or more wireless local wireless networks (e.g., WLAN, Bluetooth,NFC, a personal area network (PAN), WiFi-Direct, IEEE 802.15.4, ZigBee,Thread, mmWave) with at least the coordinating UE, and/or the target UE,of the UE-coordination set. The RF front end 204 of the UE 110 cancouple or connect the LTE transceiver 206, the 5G NR transceiver 208,and the local wireless network transceiver 210 to the antennas 202 tofacilitate various types of wireless communication.

The antennas 202 of the UE 110 may include an array of multiple antennasthat are configured similar to or differently from each other. Theantennas 202 and the RF front end 204 can be tuned to, and/or be tunableto, one or more frequency bands defined by the 3GPP LTE and 5G NRcommunication standards and implemented by the LTE transceiver 206,and/or the 5G NR transceiver 208. Additionally, the antennas 202, the RFfront end 204, the LTE transceiver 206, and/or the 5G NR transceiver 208may be configured to support beamforming for the transmission andreception of communications with the base stations 120. By way ofexample and not limitation, the antennas 202 and the RF front end 204can be implemented for operation in sub-gigahertz bands, sub-6 GHzbands, and/or above 6 GHz bands that are defined by the 3GPP LTE and 5GNR communication standards. In addition, the RF front end 204 can betuned to, and/or be tunable to, one or more frequency bands defined andimplemented by the local wireless network transceiver 210 to supporttransmission and reception of communications with other UEs in theUE-coordination set over a local wireless network.

The UE 110 includes sensor(s) 212 can be implemented to detect variousproperties such as temperature, supplied power, power usage, batterystate, or the like. As such, the sensors 212 may include any one or acombination of temperature sensors, thermistors, battery sensors, andpower usage sensors.

The UE 110 also includes processor(s) 214 and computer-readable storagemedia 216 (CRM 216). The processor 214 may be a single core processor ora multiple core processor composed of a variety of materials, such assilicon, polysilicon, high-K dielectric, copper, and so on. Thecomputer-readable storage media described herein excludes propagatingsignals. CRM 216 may include any suitable memory or storage device suchas random-access memory (RAM), static RAM (SRAM), dynamic RAM (DRAM),non-volatile RAM (NVRAM), read-only memory (ROM), or Flash memoryuseable to store device data 218 of the UE 110. The device data 218includes user data, multimedia data, beamforming codebooks,applications, and/or an operating system of the UE 110, which areexecutable by processor(s) 214 to enable user-plane communication,control-plane signaling, and user interaction with the UE 110.

CRM 216 also includes a communication manager 220. Alternately oradditionally, the communication manager 220 may be implemented in wholeor part as hardware logic or circuitry integrated with or separate fromother components of the UE 110. In at least some aspects, thecommunication manager 220 configures the RF front end 204, the LTEtransceiver 206, the 5G NR transceiver 208, and/or the local wirelessnetwork transceiver 210 to implement the techniques described herein fora UE-coordination set for disengaged mode.

The device diagram for the base stations 120, shown in FIG. 2, includesa single network node (e.g., a gNode B). The functionality of the basestations 120 may be distributed across multiple network nodes or devicesand may be distributed in any fashion suitable to perform the functionsdescribed herein. The base stations 120 include antennas 252, a radiofrequency front end 254 (RF front end 254), one or more LTE transceivers256, and/or one or more 5G NR transceivers 258 for communicating withthe UE 110. The RF front end 254 of the base stations 120 can couple orconnect the LTE transceivers 256 and the 5G NR transceivers 258 to theantennas 252 to facilitate various types of wireless communication. Theantennas 252 of the base stations 120 may include an array of multipleantennas that are configured similar to or differently from each other.The antennas 252 and the RF front end 254 can be tuned to, and/or betunable to, one or more frequency band defined by the 3GPP LTE and 5G NRcommunication standards, and implemented by the LTE transceivers 256,and/or the 5G NR transceivers 258. Additionally, the antennas 252, theRF front end 254, the LTE transceivers 256, and/or the 5G NRtransceivers 258 may be configured to support beamforming, such asMassive-MIMO, for the transmission and reception of communications withany UE 110 in a UE-coordination set.

The base stations 120 also include processor(s) 260 andcomputer-readable storage media 262 (CRM 262). The processor 260 may bea single core processor or a multiple core processor composed of avariety of materials, such as silicon, polysilicon, high-K dielectric,copper, and so on. CRM 262 may include any suitable memory or storagedevice such as random-access memory (RAM), static RAM (SRAM), dynamicRAM (DRAM), non-volatile RAM (NVRAM), read-only memory (ROM), or Flashmemory useable to store device data 264 of the base stations 120. Thedevice data 264 includes network scheduling data, radio resourcemanagement data, beamforming codebooks, applications, and/or anoperating system of the base stations 120, which are executable byprocessor(s) 260 to enable communication with the UE 110.

CRM 262 also includes a base station manager 266. Alternately oradditionally, the base station manager 266 may be implemented in wholeor part as hardware logic or circuitry integrated with or separate fromother components of the base stations 120. In at least some aspects, thebase station manager 266 configures the LTE transceivers 256 and the 5GNR transceivers 258 for communication with the UE 110, as well ascommunication with a core network. The base stations 120 include aninter-base station interface 268, such as an Xn and/or X2 interface,which the base station manager 266 configures to exchange user-plane andcontrol-plane data between another base station 120, to manage thecommunication of the base stations 120 with the UE 110. The basestations 120 include a core network interface 270 that the base stationmanager 266 configures to exchange user-plane and control-plane datawith core network functions and entities.

Network Stack

FIG. 3 illustrates an example block diagram 300 of a wireless networkstack model 300 (stack 300). The stack 300 characterizes a communicationsystem for the example environment 100, in which various aspects of aUE-coordination set for disengaged mode can be implemented. The stack300 includes a user plane 302 and a control plane 304. Upper layers ofthe user plane 302 and the control plane 304 share common lower layersin the stack 300. Wireless devices, such as the UE 110 or the basestation 120, implement each layer as an entity for communication withanother device using the protocols defined for the layer. For example, aUE 110 uses a Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) entity tocommunicate to a peer PDCP entity in a base station 120 using the PDCP.

The shared lower layers include a physical (PHY) layer 306, a MediaAccess Control (MAC) layer 308, a Radio Link Control (RLC) layer 310,and a PDCP layer 312. The PHY layer 306 provides hardware specificationsfor devices that communicate with each other. As such, the PHY layer 306establishes how devices connect to each other, assists in managing howcommunication resources are shared among devices, and the like.

The MAC layer 308 specifies how data is transferred between devices.Generally, the MAC layer 308 provides a way in which data packets beingtransmitted are encoded and decoded into bits as part of a transmissionprotocol.

The RLC layer 310 provides data transfer services to higher layers inthe stack 300. Generally, the RLC layer 310 provides error correction,packet segmentation and reassembly, and management of data transfers invarious modes, such as acknowledged, unacknowledged, or transparentmodes.

The PDCP layer 312 provides data transfer services to higher layers inthe stack 300. Generally, the PDCP layer 312 provides transfer of userplane 302 and control plane 304 data, header compression, ciphering, andintegrity protection.

Above the PDCP layer 312, the stack splits into the user-plane 302 andthe control-plane 304. Layers of the user plane 302 include an optionalService Data Adaptation Protocol (SDAP) layer 314, an Internet Protocol(IP) layer 316, a Transmission Control Protocol/User Datagram Protocol(TCP/UDP) layer 318, and an application layer 320, which transfers datausing the wireless link 106. The optional SDAP layer 314 is present in5G NR networks. The SDAP layer 314 maps a Quality of Service (QoS) flowfor each data radio bearer and marks QoS flow identifiers in uplink anddownlink data packets for each packet data session. The IP layer 316specifies how the data from the application layer 320 is transferred toa destination node. The TCP/UDP layer 318 is used to verify that datapackets intended to be transferred to the destination node reached thedestination node, using either TCP or UDP for data transfers by theapplication layer 320. In some implementations, the user plane 302 mayalso include a data services layer (not shown) that provides datatransport services to transport application data, such as IP packetsincluding web browsing content, video content, image content, audiocontent, or social media content.

The control plane 304 includes a Radio Resource Control (RRC) layer 324and a Non-Access Stratum (NAS) layer 326. The RRC layer 324 establishesand releases connections and radio bearers, broadcasts systeminformation, or performs power control. The RRC layer 324 also controlsa resource control state of the UE 110 and causes the UE 110 to performoperations according to the resource control state. Example resourcecontrol states include a connected state (e.g., an RRC connected state)or a disconnected state, such as an inactive state (e.g., an RRCinactive state) or an idle state (e.g., an RRC idle state). In general,if the UE 110 is in the connected state, the connection with the basestation 120 is active. In the inactive state, the connection with thebase station 120 is suspended. If the UE 110 is in the idle state, theconnection with the base station 120 is released. Generally, the RRClayer 324 supports 3GPP access but does not support non-3GPP access(e.g., WLAN communications).

The NAS layer 326 provides support for mobility management (e.g., usinga Fifth-Generation Mobility Management (5GMM) layer 328) and packet databearer contexts (e.g., using a Fifth-Generation Session Management(5GSM) layer 330) between the UE 110 and entities or functions in thecore network, such as the Access and Mobility Management Function 152(AMF 152) of the 5GC 150 or the like. The NAS layer 326 supports both3GPP access and non-3GPP access.

In the UE 110, each layer in both the user plane 302 and the controlplane 304 of the stack 300 interacts with a corresponding peer layer orentity in the base station 120, a core network entity or function,and/or a remote service, to support user applications and controloperation of the UE 110 in the RAN 140.

UE-Coordination Set

FIG. 4 illustrates an example implementation 400 of a UE-coordinationset for disengaged mode. The illustrated example includes a base station121, UE 111, UE 112, and UE 113. In an example, each of the UEsillustrated in FIG. 4 may have limited transmission power, which maycause difficulties in transmitting data to the base station 121. Thismay be due, at least partially, to the UEs being proximate to a celledge 402 of the base station 121 or the UEs being in atransmission-challenged location (e.g., a basement, urban canyon, etc.)that has a poor link budget. Each of the UEs illustrated in FIG. 4 mayalso, or alternatively, have limited reception power, which may beaffected by cell-edge transmission power of the base station 121, aswell as multipath, signal interference from other transmitters oroverhead electrical wires, attenuation from weather or objects such asbuildings, trees, etc.

Using the techniques described herein, the base station 121 can specifya set of UEs (e.g., the UE 111, UE 112, and UE 113) to form aUE-coordination set (e.g., the UE-coordination set 404) for jointtransmission and joint reception of data for a target UE (e.g., the UE112). The base station 121 may determine, based on informationcorresponding to the UEs (e.g., UE location, signal level, batterylevel, and so on), whether coordination is beneficial for a particularUE or not. Based on a user input or predefined setting, each of the UEsmay opt in or out of participation in the UE-coordination set. Aneffective transmit power of the target UE 112 can increase significantly(e.g., linearly) with the number of UEs in the UE-coordination set,which can greatly improve a link budget of the target UE 112. The basestation 121 may determine a UE-coordination set based on variousfactors, such as a location of each UE relative to the base station 121,distance between the UEs (such as between each other, between each UEand the target UE, or between each UE and a coordinating UE of theUE-coordination set) or a combination thereof. In some aspects, UEswithin a certain distance of each other can more easily coordinate withone another to reduce signal interference when in close proximity byusing a local wireless network.

In addition, UE coordination can be based on spatial beams or timingadvance, or both, associated with each UE. For example, for beamformingor Massive-MIMO, it may be desirable that all the UEs within theUE-coordination set are able to receive the same signal from the basestation. Therefore, all the UEs within the UE-coordination set may begeographically near one another, e.g., within a threshold distance of aparticular UE in the UE-coordination set. In this way, the UEs in theUE-coordination set may each be in the same beam or beams that are closeto each other. Timing advance may indicate a distance between a UE andthe base station. A similar timing advance for each UE in a groupindicates that those UEs are approximately the same distance from thebase station. UEs within a predefined distance of one another that areall a similar distance from the base station may be capable of workingtogether in a UE-coordination set in a distributed fashion to improve asignal strength and quality of a single UE in the UE-coordination set.

The base station can send layer-2 messages (e.g., Media Access Controllayer) and/or layer-3 (e.g., Service Data Adaptation Protocol layer)messages to UEs to direct or request those UEs to join theUE-coordination set. The base station can provide additional data to theUEs within the UE-coordination set to enable the UEs to communicate withat least the coordinating UE or the target UE. The additional data mayinclude an identity of the coordinating UE and/or an identity of thetarget UE, security information, and/or local wireless networkinformation.

The base station can receive a response message from a UE in theUE-coordination set acknowledging the request message. In some cases,the base station can receive a response message from at least two of theUEs acknowledging that a UE has joined the UE-coordination set. Theresponse message may indicate that the request message has been approvedby a user of the UE.

In addition, the base station can identify and command (or request) aspecific UE within the UE-coordination set to act as a coordinating UE(e.g., master UE) for the UE-coordination set. For example, the basestation 121 can transmit a configuration message (e.g., request message)to the specific UE to request that the specific UE act as thecoordinating UE for the UE-coordination set. The specific UE may acceptor decline the request based on user input from a user of the UE or asetting that is set to automatically accept or decline such requests. Insome aspects, the UE may transmit a UE-capability message or otherlayer-3 message as a response to the request message from the basestation 121. The coordinating UE can coordinate the messages and samplessent between UEs within the UE-coordination set for joint transmissionand joint reception. In aspects, the coordinating UE can determine wherethe joint processing is to occur, e.g., at the coordinating UE or thetarget UE. In an example, the coordinating UE can coordinate how aparticular UE in the UE-coordination set is to send I/Q samples, whichthe particular UE receives from the base station, to the target UE.

The base station can select the coordinating UE from the group of UEs inthe UE-coordination set based on a variety of factors, some of which maybe signaled to the base station by the UE using a UE-capability message.One example factor includes processing power of the coordinating UE,which provides the coordinating UE the capability to handle certainaspects of the UE-coordination set including central coordination orscheduling. Another factor may include a battery-level state of thecoordinating UE. For instance, if a particular UE in the UE-coordinationset has a low battery, then that UE may not be a good candidate to actas the coordinating UE. Accordingly, UEs within the UE-coordination setthat have a battery-level state above a threshold value may beconsidered as candidates for selection as the coordinating UE. In oneexample, the base station may first select one UE as a coordinating UE,and receive, subsequent to formation of the UE-coordination set,messages from the other UEs in the UE-coordination set indicatingrespective battery-level states. Then, the base station can change thecoordination UE if another UE in the UE-coordination set would be abetter candidate based on the battery-level states of the UEs in theUE-coordination set.

Yet another factor may include a location of the coordinating UE. Thebase station may identify the location of the UEs in the UE-coordinationset based on various factors, such as angle of arrival of signals fromthe UE, timing advance, observed time difference of arrival (OTDOA), andso on. An ideal location for the coordinating UE may be geographicallycentral in the UE-coordination set, as this may maximize thecoordinating UE's capability to coordinate and communicate with theother UEs in the UE-coordination set. However, the coordinating UE isnot required to be in a central location of the UEs in theUE-coordination set. Rather, the coordinating UE can be located at anylocation within the UE-coordination set that allows the coordinating UEto communicate and coordinate with the other UEs in the UE-coordinationset. The base station constantly monitors the UE-coordination set andcan update the coordinating UE at any time based on updated factors,such as updated UE locations, UE battery-level state, and so on. Or, asmentioned previously, the coordinating UE may transfer its jointprocessing responsibilities to another UE based on factors such asprocessing power, battery level, and/or geographic location.

In some aspects, the base station can receive indications from one ormore UEs in the UE-coordination set that advertise their capability toact as the coordinating UE. Additionally or alternatively, the basestation can receive indications from one or more UEs in theUE-coordination set that indicate a willingness of a user of arespective UE to allow their UE to participate in the UE-coordinationset and/or act as the coordinating UE. Accordingly, a UE in theUE-coordination set can indicate, using a layer-3 message, to the basestation whether it is capable of acting and/or permitted to act as thecoordinating UE.

In the illustrated example 400 in FIG. 4, the base station 121 mayselect UE 111 to act as the coordinating UE since the UE 111 is locatedbetween UE 112 and UE 113 or because the UE 111 is capable ofcommunicating with each of the other UEs 112 and 113 in theUE-coordination set. The base station 121 may select the coordinating UEfor various reasons, examples of which are described above. Being at thecell edge, all three of the UEs 111, 112, 113 have a weak cellularreception (and transmission) power. The base station 121 selects UE 111to coordinate messages and samples sent between the base station 121 andthe UEs 111, 112, 113 for the target UE 112. Such communication betweenthe UEs can occur using a local wireless network 406, such as a PAN,NFC, Bluetooth, WiFi-Direct, local mmWave link, etc. In this example,all three of the UEs 111, 112, 113 receive RF signals from the basestation 121. The UE 112 and the UE 113 demodulate the RF signals tobaseband I/Q analog signals, sample the baseband I/Q analog signals toproduce I/Q samples, and forward the I/Q samples along with systemtiming information (e.g., system frame number (SFN)) the local to thecoordinating UE 111 using the local wireless network transceiver 210.The coordinating UE 111 then uses the timing information to synchronizeand combine the I/Q samples and processes the combined signal to decodedata packets for the target UE 112. The coordinating UE 111 thentransmits the data packets to the target UE 112 using the local wirelessnetwork 406.

When the target UE 112 has uplink data to send to the base station 121,the target UE transmits the uplink data to the coordinating UE 111,which uses the local wireless network 406 to distribute the uplink datato each UE in the UE-coordination set 404. Each UE in theUE-coordination set 404 synchronizes with the base station 121 fortiming information and its data transmission resource assignment. Then,all three UEs in the UE-coordination set 404 jointly transmit the uplinkdata to the base station 121. The base station 121 receives thejointly-transmitted uplink data from the UEs 111, 112, 113 and processesthe combined signal to decode the uplink data from the target UE 112.

Joint Transmission and Reception

The UE-coordination set 404 enhances the target UE's ability to transmitdata to the base station 121 and receive data from the base station 121by generally acting as a distributed antenna of the target UE 112. Forexample, the base station 121 transmits downlink data using RF signalsto multiple UEs in the UE-coordination set 404. At least some of themultiple UEs demodulate the received RF signals to an analog basebandsignal and sample the baseband signal to produce a set of I/Q samples,which the UEs send to the coordinating UE along with system timinginformation. The coordinating UE accumulates and stores the I/Q samplesfrom each UE in a memory buffer. Because each of the UEs in theUE-coordination set 404 synchronizes with the base station 121, all ofthe UEs in the UE-coordination set 404 have a common time, based on acommon time base (e.g., system frame number (SFN)), effective to enablethe coordinating UE to manage the timing and aligning of the I/Q samplesfor the accumulation and storage of the I/Q samples in the memorybuffer. For joint reception and decoding, the coordinating UE processesthe stored I/Q samples to decode the downlink data for the target UE. Inaspects, I/Q samples can be processed at multiple UEs (e.g., less thanall the UEs in the UE-coordination set), at the target UE 112, or at thecoordinating UE 111. At least a subset of the UEs in the UE-coordinationset 404 can participate in the accumulation and/or the joint processingof the downlink I/Q samples. In at least one aspect, the coordinating UE111 can select which UEs in the UE-coordination set 404 are to beincluded in the subset of UEs that participate in the accumulationand/or the joint processing of the downlink I/Q samples. In otheraspects, the base station 121 can make this selection.

Multiple UEs can each receive downlink transmissions from the basestation 121. These UEs may not decode the downlink transmissions intodata packets and then forward the data packets to a destination, as inconventional relay techniques. Rather, the UEs determine where toforward raw I/Q samples of the downlink transmissions, such as to thecoordinating UE 111 or the target UE 112. In aspects, the target UE 112may include a subset of target UEs within the UE-coordination set 404.The coordinating UE 111 (or the target UE 112) receives the raw I/Qsamples from the other UEs in the UE-coordination set 404 and stores theI/Q samples in a buffer memory. Then, the coordinating UE 111 (or thetarget UE 112) decodes the stored raw I/Q samples into data packets forthe target UE(s) 112. Accordingly, the processing of the raw I/Q samplesoccurs at the coordinating UE 111 or the target UE 112. In this way, theUE-coordination set 404 acts as a distributed antenna for the target UE112. The target UE 112 includes its own antenna(s) and participates inthe collecting of data in the I/Q format from the base station 121 andforwarding the raw I/Q data to the coordinating UE 111.

In one example, a UE-coordination set includes three UEs, each havingtwo antennas. The base station sends a downlink signal for one target UEin the UE-coordination set, where the target UE is acting as thecoordinating UE of the UE-coordination set. Typically, the target UEwould only have use of its own antennas (in this example, the target UEonly has two antennas) to receive the downlink signal. Here, however,all three UEs (each using two antennas) in the UE-coordination setreceive the downlink signal and forward the downlink signal to thetarget UE. In this way, the target UE behaves as if it had six antennas,which significantly enhances the signal strength of the target UE. EachUE in the UE-coordination set does not decode the downlink signal.Rather, each UE in the UE-coordination set may demodulate the downlinksignal (e.g., RF signal) to an analog baseband signal and sample thebaseband signal to produce UQ samples. This is because one or more ofthe UEs may not be able to individually demodulate or decode the signalproperly, particularly if they are near the cell edge and/or have arelatively weak signal strength due to interference or channelimpairments affecting the link budget. The UQ samples are forwarded tothe coordinating UE, which aggregates and decodes the I/Q samples intodownlink data for the target UE. Accordingly, the downlink signals fromall the UEs in the UE-coordination set are jointly received to providean effective signal strength sufficient to demodulate and decode thepacket at a single UE.

In aspects, UEs within the same coordination set can jointly receivedownlink transmissions from the base station for a subset of UEs in theUE-coordination set, rather than for a single target UE. Each UE in theUE-coordination set can produce raw I/Q samples from the downlinktransmissions and forward the raw I/Q samples to the subset of UEs. TheUEs within the same coordination set can perform joint or coherentprocessing for data sent by the base station. Coherent processing refersto the UEs functioning as a receive antenna chain such that the data iscoherently combined at the subset of UEs or the coordinating UE. Thesubset of UEs or the coordinating UE can use the raw I/Q samples toperform the joint processing of the downlink transmissions.

For joint transmission, multiple UEs in the UE-coordination set 404 eachuse their respective antennas and transmitters to transmit uplink datafrom the target UE 112 on air interface resources as directed by thebase station coordinating the UE-coordination set. In this way, thetarget UE's uplink data can be processed together and transmitted usingthe transmitters and the transmission antennas of multiple (includingall) UEs in the UE-coordination set 404. In an example, the target UE112 uses its local wireless network transceiver 210 to transmit uplinkdata to the coordinating UE 111. The coordinating UE 111 uses its localwireless network transceiver 210 to distribute the data to the other UEsin the UE-coordination set 404. Then, all the UEs in the UE-coordinationset 404 process and transmit the uplink data to the base station 121. Inthis way, the distributed transmission provides for a better effectivelink budget given the channel impairments encountered by the target UE112.

In an example, the coordinating UE 111 replicates the same uplink signalacross the multiple UEs' transmit antennas, which combines the powerfrom multiple UEs' power amplifiers. Replicating the signal acrossmultiple UEs for joint transmission significantly increases theeffective transmit power over any single UE's transmit power. Thecoordinating UE 111 and the target UE 112 also each transmit a replicaof the uplink signal. So, similar to the downlink described above, theadditional UEs in the UE-coordination set function as additionalantennas for the target UE 112. In aspects, the UEs in theUE-coordination set 404 communicate with each other and with thecoordinating UE 111 using the local wireless network 406, such as WLAN.

UEs within the same UE-coordination set 404 can jointly send datapackets for the target UE 112 to the base station 121. For example, asubset of UEs in the UE-coordination set 404 can perform jointtransmission for the target UE 112 (or a subset of UEs) within theUE-coordination set 404. The target UE 112 can also send its data to therest of (or to the subset of) the UEs in the UE-coordination set 404 toenable those other UEs to assist in the transmission of the data for thetarget UE 112 to the base station 121.

User Equipment States

FIG. 5 illustrates example user equipment states 500 which may benefitfrom aspects of a UE-coordination set for disengaged mode. A wirelessnetwork operator provides its telecommunication services to userequipment devices through a wireless network. To communicate wirelesslywith the network, a user equipment 110 utilizes a radio resource control(RRC) procedure to establish a connection to the network via a cell(e.g., a base station, a serving cell). Upon establishing the connectionto the network via the base station 121, the UE 110 enters a connectedmode (e.g., RRC connected mode, RRC_CONNECTED state, NR-RRC CONNECTEDstate, E-UTRA RRC CONNECTED state).

The UE 110 operates according to different resource control states 410.Different situations may occur that cause the UE 110 to transitionbetween the different resource control states 410 as determined by theradio access technology. Examples of the resource control states 510illustrated in FIG. 5 include a connected mode 512, an idle mode 514,and an inactive mode 516. A user equipment 110 is either in theconnected mode 512 or in the inactive mode 516 when an RRC connection isactive. If an RRC connection is not active, then the user equipment 110is in the idle mode 514.

In establishing an RRC connection, the user equipment 110 may transitionfrom the idle mode 514 to the connected mode 512. After establishing theconnection, the user equipment 110 may transition (e.g., upon connectioninactivation) from the connected mode 512 to an inactive mode 516 (e.g.,RRC inactive mode, RRC INACTIVE state, NR-RRC INACTIVE state) and theuser equipment 110 may transition (e.g., via an RRC connection resumeprocedure) from the inactive mode 516 to the connected mode 512. Afterestablishing the connection, the user equipment 110 may transitionbetween the connected mode 512 to an idle mode 514 (e.g., RRC idle mode,RRC IDLE state, NR-RRC IDLE state, E-UTRA RRC IDLE state), for instanceupon the network releasing the RRC connection. Further, the userequipment 110 may transition between the inactive mode 516 and the idlemode 514.

Further, the UE 110 may be in an engaged mode 522 or may be in adisengaged mode 524. As used herein, an engaged mode 522 is a connectedmode (e.g., the connected mode 512) and a disengaged mode 524 is anidle, disconnected, connected-but-inactive, or connected-but-dormantmode (e.g., idle mode 514, inactive mode 516). In some cases, in thedisengaged mode 524, the UE 110 may still be Network Access Stratum(NAS) registered with radio bearer active (e.g., inactive mode 516).

Each of the different resource control states 510 may have differentquantities or types of resources available, which may affect powerconsumption within the UE 110. In general, the connected mode 512represents the UE 110 actively connected to (engaged with) the basestation 121. In the inactive mode 516, the UE 110 suspends connectivitywith the base station 121 and retains information that enablesconnectivity with the base station 121 to be quickly re-established. Inthe idle mode 514 the UE 110 releases the connection with the basestation 121.

Some of the resource control states 510 may be limited to certain radioaccess technologies. For example, the inactive mode 516 may be supportedin LTE Release 15 (eLTE), 5G NR, and 6G, but not in 3G or previousgenerations of 4G standards. Other resource control states may be commonor compatible across multiple radio access technologies, such as theconnected mode 512 or the idle mode 514.

Disengaged Mode UE-Coordination Set

As discussed above, the UE-coordination set 404 enhances the target UE'sability to transmit data to the base station 121 and receive data fromthe base station 121 by generally acting as a distributed antenna of thetarget UE 112. The UE-coordination set 404 may be used by UEs 111, 112,and 113 when those UEs are in the engaged mode 522. However, when one ofthe UEs 110 in a UE-coordination set transitions from the engaged mode522 to the disengaged mode 524, that UE is no longer available toparticipate in joint reception and transmission of downlink data anduplink data with the other UEs 110 in the UE-coordination set 404.

FIG. 6 illustrates an example implementation 600 of a UE-coordinationset for disengaged mode. The illustrated example includes the basestation 121, UE 111, UE 112, UE 113, UE 114, and UE 115. As describedwith reference to FIG. 4, the base station 121 can specify a set of UEs(e.g., the UE 111, UE 112, and UE 113) to form a UE-coordination set(e.g., the UE-coordination set 404, UECS 404) for joint transmission andjoint reception of data for a target UE (e.g., the UE 112). The basestation 121 can also specify a set of UEs to form adisengaged-mode-user-equipment coordination set (disengaged-mode UECS)(e.g., the disengaged-mode-user-equipment-coordination set 602, thedisengaged-mode UECS 602) for joint transmission and joint reception ofdisengaged-mode communication for the UEs in the disengaged-mode UECS602. Alternatively, the base station 121 can form a UE-coordination setincluding one or more UEs in the engaged mode and one or more UEs in thedisengaged mode to implement the techniques described herein.

In aspects, the base station can identify and command (or request) aspecific UE within the disengaged-mode UECS to act as a coordinating UE(e.g., master UE) for the disengaged-mode UE-coordination set. Forexample, the base station 121 can transmit a configuration message(e.g., request message) to the UE 114 to act as the coordinating UE forthe disengaged-mode UECS 602. Communication between the UEs in thedisengaged-mode UECS can occur using a local wireless network 604, suchas a WLAN, PAN, NFC, Bluetooth, WiFi-Direct, local mmWave link, etc. Inthe alternative of a UE-coordination set including UEs in the engagedmode and UEs in the disengaged mode, the base station 121 can select aUE in the engaged mode or a UE in the disengaged mode as thecoordinating UE.

As described above with reference to FIG. 6 and using the techniquesdescribed herein, the base station 121 can specify a set of UEs (e.g.,the UE 113, UE 114, and UE 115) to form a the disengaged-mode UECS. Thebase station 121 may determine, based on information corresponding tothe UEs (e.g., UE location, signal level, battery level, and so on),whether coordination is beneficial for a particular UE or not. Forexample, the base station 121 initially determines to include the UE 114and the UE 115 in the disengaged-mode UECS 602. While it is in engagedmode 522, the base station 121 has assigned the UE 113 to the UECS 404.When it is determined that the UE 113 is to transition from the engagedmode 522 to the disengaged mode 524, the base station 121 moves, asillustrated at 606, the UE 113 from the UECS 404 to the disengaged-modeUECS 602. The base station 121 moves the UE 113 by removing the UE 113from the UECS 404 and adding the UE 113 to the disengaged-mode UECS 602using the messaging described above in reference to FIG. 4.Additionally, when it is determined that the UE 113 is to transitionfrom the disengaged mode 524 to the engaged mode 522, the base station121 moves the UE 113 from the disengaged-mode UECS 602 to the UECS 404or another appropriate UECS.

In another aspect, the UEs in the disengaged-mode UECS perform jointreception of disengaged-mode transmissions from the base station 121such as paging indications, system information updates, or the like. Thebase station 121 transmits a paging indication to the disengaged-modeUECS when any UE 110 in the disengaged-mode UECS has a pending page atthe base station 121. The base station 121 assigns a UECS-specificidentifier to each UECS managed by the base station 121. The basestation 121 includes the UECS-specific identifier and an identifier ofthe UE 110 (target UE) that is being paged in the paging indication. Forexample, the base station 121 includes a UECS-specific identifier of thedisengaged-mode UECS 602 and an identifier of the UE 113 in the pagingindication when then base station is transmitting a paging indicationfor the UE 113.

The UE 110 indicated in a paging indication that is jointly received bya disengaged-mode UECS transitions to the engaged mode 522. Intransitioning to the engaged mode 522, the paged UE 110 leaves thedisengaged-mode UECS and may, optionally or additionally, join adifferent UE-coordination set. For example, the base station 121includes the UECS-specific identifier of the disengaged-mode UECS 602and an identifier of the UE 113 in the paging indication when then basestation is transmitting a paging indication for the UE 113. Thedisengaged-mode UECS 602 jointly receives the paging indication and,based on the received paging indication, the UE 113 transitions to theengaged mode 522. Optionally or additionally, the base station 121 maycommand the UE 113 to rejoin the UE-coordination set 404 or anotherUE-coordination set.

In a further aspect, the base station configures the samediscontinuous-reception cycle (DRX cycle) parameters, including aperiodicity and an offset (e.g., a drx-StartOffset), for all the UEs 110included in the disengaged-mode UECS. For example, the base station 121determines DRX parameters for the UEs 110 in the disengaged-mode UECS602 and communicates the DRX parameters in a Radio Resource Control(RRC) message to the UEs 110 in the disengaged-mode UECS 602.

Additionally or optionally, the base station may use UE-Capabilitiesparameters of the UEs 110 in a disengaged-mode UECS to determine DRXparameters. The base station can determine if all the UEs 110 in thedisengaged-mode UECS support a particular DRX cycle (e.g.,shortDRX-Cycle, or long DRX-Cycle). For example, if the base station 121determines that all the UEs 110 support a shortDRX-Cycle, the basestation 121 can configure the shortDRX-Cycle for all the UEs 110 in thedisengaged-mode UECS 602 to provide a shorter response time to pagingindication sent to the disengaged-mode UECS 602.

In another aspect, the base station 121 can combine UE-Capabilitiesparameters and/or other UE-related status information to determine DRXparameters that are common to all the UEs 110 in the disengaged-modeUECS. For example, the base station 121 determines that all the UEs 110support a longDRX-Cycle and that the battery capacity of one or more UEs110 in the disengaged-mode UECS 602 is low. Based on the combination ofthese factors, the base station 121 can configure the longDRX-Cycle forall the UEs 110 in the disengaged-mode UECS 602 to provide a longerbattery life for the UEs 110 in the disengaged-mode UECS 602.

In a further aspect, a base station that manages a disengaged-mode UECSdetermines disengaged-mode UECS-specific cell reselection parameters forthe disengaged-mode UECS and configures the UEs 110 in thedisengaged-mode UECS with the disengaged-mode UECS-specific cellreselection parameters. For example, the base station 121 determinesdisengaged-mode UECS-specific cell reselection parameters that include areception quality metric, such as a signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), forreference signals jointly-received by the UEs 110 in the disengaged-modeUECS 602.

If the jointly-received SNR for the reference signals drops below athreshold for the reception metric, the UEs 110 in the disengaged-modeUECS jointly perform cell reselection and coordinate on the reselectionof a base station for the disengaged-mode UECS. For example, thecoordinating UE 114 of the disengaged-mode UECS 602 determines that theSNR of the reference signals jointly-received by the UE 113, the UE 114,and the UE 115, from the base station 121, is below a threshold value.The UE 113, the UE 114, and the UE 115 jointly perform cell reselection.The disengaged-mode UECS 602, as coordinated by the coordinating UE 114,selects a base station with the highest jointly-received SNR to be a newcamped base station (camped cell) for the disengaged-mode UECS 602.

In an additional aspect, if the disengaged-mode UECS selects a newcamped cell that is in a different tracking area than the previouscamped cell of the disengaged-mode UECS, the disengaged-mode UECSjointly transmits a tracking area update. For example, after cellreselection, the disengaged-mode UECS 602 determines that the new campedcell is in a tracking area that is not included in the Tracking Arealist configured in the UEs 110 of the disengaged-mode UECS 602. The UEs110 in the disengaged-mode UECS 602 jointly transmit a Tracking AreaUpdate Request message to the newly camped base station (e.g., the basestation 123) which directs the base station 123 to forward the TrackingArea Update Request to the core network (e.g., the 5G core network 150or the Evolved Packet core network 160). After the core networkprocesses Tracking Area Update Request, the base station 123 transmits aTracking Area Update Accept message to the disengaged-mode UECS 602. Thedisengaged-mode UECS 602 jointly receives the Tracking Area UpdateAccept message and responds by jointly transmitting a Tracking AreaUpdate Complete message to the base station 123.

Example Methods

Example methods 700 and 800 are described with reference to FIGS. 7 and8 in accordance with one or more aspects of a UE-coordination set fordisengaged mode. The order in which the method blocks are described arenot intended to be construed as a limitation, and any number of thedescribed method blocks can be skipped or combined in any order toimplement a method or an alternate method. Generally, any of thecomponents, modules, methods, and operations described herein can beimplemented using software, firmware, hardware (e.g., fixed logiccircuitry), manual processing, or any combination thereof. Someoperations of the example methods may be described in the generalcontext of executable instructions stored on computer-readable storagememory that is local and/or remote to a computer processing system, andimplementations can include software applications, programs, functions,and the like. Alternatively or in addition, any of the functionalitydescribed herein can be performed, at least in part, by one or morehardware logic components, such as, and without limitation,Field-programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs), Application-specific IntegratedCircuits (ASICs), Application-specific Standard Products (ASSPs),System-on-a-chip systems (SoCs), Complex Programmable Logic Devices(CPLDs), and the like.

FIG. 7 illustrates example method(s) 700 of a UE-coordination set fordisengaged mode as generally related to the base station 121. At 702, abase station (e.g., the base station 121) specifies a set of multipleuser equipment (e.g., UE 113, UE 114, and UE 115) to form adisengaged-mode-user-equipment coordination set (e.g., thedisengaged-mode-user-equipment coordination set 602), for jointtransmission and reception of data intended for one or more of themultiple user equipment included in the disengaged-mode-user-equipmentcoordination set, each of the multiple user equipment being in adisengaged mode.

At 704, the base station selects one of the multiple user equipmentwithin the disengaged-mode-user-equipment coordination set to act as acoordinating UE (e.g., the UE 114) for thedisengaged-mode-user-equipment coordination set. At 706, the basestation transmits a request message that directs the coordinating userequipment to coordinate the joint transmission and reception of the dataintended for the one or more of multiple user equipment.

At 708, the base station transmits downlink signal to each userequipment within the disengaged-mode-user-equipment coordination setthat is effective to enable each user equipment within thedisengaged-mode-user-equipment coordination set to: demodulate andsample the downlink signal, and forward the samples to the coordinatinguser equipment; and enable the coordinating user equipment to: combinethe samples from each user equipment, and jointly process the combinedsamples to provide decoded data.

FIG. 8 illustrates example method(s) 800 of a UE-coordination set fordisengaged mode as generally related to the user equipment 114. At 802,a user equipment (e.g., the user equipment 114) receives an indicationto transition to a disengaged mode (e.g., the disengaged mode 524).

At 804, the user equipment receives a request message from a basestation (e.g., the base station 121) directing the user equipment tojoin a disengaged-mode-user-equipment coordination set (e.g., thedisengaged-mode-user-equipment coordination set 602) comprising multipleuser equipment (e.g., UE 113, UE 114, and UE 115) in the disengagedmode. At 806, the user equipment transitions to the disengaged mode.

At 808, the user equipment receives baseband samples from at least oneof the multiple user equipment in the disengaged-mode-user-equipmentcoordination set, the baseband samples corresponding to data intendedfor one or more of the multiple user equipment thedisengaged-mode-user-equipment coordination set and received by the atleast one user equipment in the disengaged-mode-user-equipmentcoordination set. At 810, the user equipment aggregates the basebandsamples to provide a combined baseband signal.

At 812, the user equipment jointly processes the combined basebandsignal to decode the data intended for the one or more of the multipleuser equipment. At 814, the user equipment forwards data correspondingto the aggregated information to the one or more of the multiple userequipment.

Although aspects of a UE-coordination set for disengaged mode have beendescribed in language specific to features and/or methods, the subjectof the appended claims is not necessarily limited to the specificfeatures or methods described. Rather, the specific features and methodsare disclosed as example implementations of the UE-coordination set fordisengaged mode, and other equivalent features and methods are intendedto be within the scope of the appended claims. Further, variousdifferent aspects are described, and it is to be appreciated that eachdescribed aspect can be implemented independently or in connection withone or more other described aspects.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method performed by a base station in awireless communications network, the method comprising: specifying, bythe base station, a set of multiple user equipment to form adisengaged-mode-user-equipment coordination set, for joint transmissionand reception of data by multiple user equipment in thedisengaged-mode-user-equipment coordination set, intended for one ormore of the multiple user equipment included in thedisengaged-mode-user-equipment coordination set, each of the multipleuser equipment being in a disengaged mode; selecting one of the multipleuser equipment within the disengaged-mode-user-equipment coordinationset to act as a coordinating user equipment for thedisengaged-mode-user-equipment coordination set; transmitting a requestmessage that directs the coordinating user equipment to coordinate thejoint transmission and reception, by the multiple user equipment in thedisengaged-mode-user-equipment coordination set, of the data intendedfor the one or more of the multiple user equipment; and transmitting adownlink signal to each user equipment within thedisengaged-mode-user-equipment coordination set effective to: enableeach user equipment within the disengaged-mode-user-equipmentcoordination set to: demodulate and sample the downlink signal, andforward the samples to the coordinating user equipment; and enable thecoordinating user equipment to: combine the samples from each userequipment, and jointly process the combined samples to provide decodeddata.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the decoded data comprises asystem information update, and wherein the system information update isprovided to the multiple user equipment included in thedisengaged-mode-user-equipment coordination set, and wherein providingthe system information update is effective to direct each of themultiple user equipment to update system information stored in each ofthe multiple user equipment.
 3. The method of claim 1, furthercomprising: receiving, by the base station, a page for a target userequipment in the disengaged-mode-user-equipment coordination set; andgenerating the data, the data comprising a paging indication thatincludes an identifier of the disengaged-mode-user-equipmentcoordination set and a target user equipment.
 4. The method of claim 3,wherein jointly processing the combined samples to provide the decodeddata is effective to direct the coordinating user equipment to forwardthe page to the target user equipment, and wherein the forwarding thepage to the target user equipment is effective to direct the target userequipment to transition to an engaged mode.
 5. The method of claim 3,wherein the paging indication is transmitted as a layer-3 message. 6.The method of claim 1, further comprising: configuring, by the basestation, discontinuous reception parameters for the multiple userequipment in the disengaged-mode-user-equipment coordination set; andgenerating the data, the data comprising discontinuous receptionparameters.
 7. The method of claim 6, wherein the discontinuousreception parameters include discontinuous reception cycle parameters,and wherein the discontinuous reception cycle parameters include aperiodicity and an offset for discontinuous reception by the multipleuser equipment in the disengaged-mode-user-equipment coordination set,and wherein the discontinuous reception parameters are communicated in aRadio Resource Control message.
 8. The method of claim 6, whereinconfiguring the discontinuous reception parameters for the multiple userequipment comprises: evaluating, by the base station, user equipmentcapability information for each of the multiple user equipment in thedisengaged-mode-user-equipment coordination set to determine aconfiguration of the discontinuous reception parameters that can becommonly applied to all the user equipment in thedisengaged-mode-user-equipment coordination set.
 9. The method of claim1, further comprising: configuring, by the base station, one or morecell reselection parameters for the disengaged-mode-user-equipmentcoordination set; and generating the data, the data comprising the oneor more cell reselection parameters.
 10. The method of claim 9, whereinthe one or more cell reselection parameters include a threshold valuefor a reception metric, and wherein the one or more cell reselectionparameters are provided to at least the coordinating user equipment, andwherein providing the one or more cell reselection parameters iseffective to direct the coordinating user equipment to initiate cellreselection by the multiple user equipment included in thedisengaged-mode-user-equipment coordination set if the reception metricfor jointly-received reference signals from the base station is lessthan a threshold value for the reception metric.
 11. The method of claim1, further comprising: receiving, by the base station, a Tracking AreaUpdate Request message from the multiple user equipment included in thedisengaged-mode-user-equipment coordination set; forwarding the TrackingArea Update Request to a core network; in response to the forwarding,receiving a Tracking Area Update Accept message from the core network;transmitting the Tracking Area Update Accept message to thedisengaged-mode-user-equipment coordination set; and receiving aTracking Area Update Complete message from the multiple user equipmentincluded in the disengaged-mode-user-equipment coordination set.
 12. Amethod performed by a user equipment in a wireless communicationsnetwork, the method comprising: receiving, by the user equipment, anindication to transition to a disengaged mode; receiving, by the userequipment, a request message from a base station directing the userequipment to join a disengaged-mode-user-equipment coordination setcomprising multiple user equipment in the disengaged mode;transitioning, by the user equipment, to the disengaged mode; receivingbaseband samples from at least one of the multiple user equipment in thedisengaged-mode-user-equipment coordination set, the baseband samplescorresponding to data intended for one or more of the multiple userequipment included in the disengaged-mode-user-equipment coordinationset and received by the at least one user equipment in thedisengaged-mode-user-equipment coordination set; aggregating thebaseband samples to provide a combined baseband signal; jointlyprocessing the combined baseband signal to decode the data intended forthe one or more of the multiple user equipment; and forwarding thedecoded data to the one or more of the multiple user equipment.
 13. Themethod of claim 12, wherein the decoded data comprises a systeminformation update, the method further comprising: forwarding, by theuser equipment, the system information update to the multiple userequipment included in the disengaged-mode-user-equipment coordinationset that is effective to direct each of the multiple user equipment toupdate system information stored in each of the multiple user equipment.14. The method of claim 12, wherein the decoded data comprises a pagingindication that includes an identifier of thedisengaged-mode-user-equipment coordination set and a target userequipment in the disengaged-mode-user-equipment coordination set, themethod further comprising: forwarding, by the user equipment, the pagingindication to the target user equipment, the forwarding being effectiveto direct the target user equipment to transition to an engaged mode.15. The method of claim 14, wherein the paging indication is transmittedas a layer-3 message.
 16. The method of claim 12, wherein the decodeddata comprises discontinuous reception parameters for the multiple userequipment in the disengaged-mode-user-equipment coordination set, themethod further comprising: forwarding, by the user equipment, thediscontinuous reception parameters to the multiple user equipment in thedisengaged-mode-user-equipment coordination set, the forwarding beingeffective to direct the multiple user equipment todiscontinuously-receive using the discontinuous reception parameters.17. The method of claim 16, wherein the discontinuous receptionparameters include discontinuous reception cycle parameters, and whereinthe discontinuous reception cycle parameters include a periodicity andan offset for discontinuous reception by the multiple user equipment inthe disengaged-mode-user-equipment coordination set, and wherein thediscontinuous reception parameters are communicated in a Radio ResourceControl message.
 18. The method of claim 12, wherein the decoded datacomprises one or more cell reselection parameters for the multiple userequipment in the disengaged-mode-user-equipment coordination set, themethod further comprising: forwarding, by the user equipment, the one ormore cell reselection parameters to the multiple user equipment in thedisengaged-mode-user-equipment coordination set, the forwarding beingeffective to direct the multiple user equipment to jointly determinewhether to perform cell reselection using the one or more cellreselection parameters.
 19. The method of claim 18, wherein the one ormore cell reselection parameters include a threshold value for areception metric, and wherein providing the one or more cell reselectionparameters is effective to direct the user equipment to initiate cellreselection by the multiple user equipment included in thedisengaged-mode-user-equipment coordination set if the reception metricfor jointly-received reference signals from the base station is lessthan a threshold value for the reception metric.
 20. The method of claim12, the method further comprising: jointly transmitting, by the userequipment, a Tracking Area Update Request message for the multiple userequipment included in the disengaged-mode-user-equipment coordinationset that is effective to direct the base station to forward the TrackingArea Update Request to a core network; jointly receiving a Tracking AreaUpdate Accept message from the base station; and jointly transmitting aTracking Area Update Complete message to the base station.